I've skimmed the previous reviews, and I'm surprised at the amount of people saying "this is sessionable". It's 6.5%! This is not a session beer.

Anyhow, I loved this take on ESB. A bit Brit with a slight American/West Coast twist. All Challenger hops brought out some sweet earthiness, and added to the authenticity. Mild orange and creamy feel/flavors, lovely malt presence. Beautifully balanced, a bit more bite on the hop end than I would expect, but still just so smooth and drinkable. I do wish these were available in 6 packs . . . or on cask??? Heheheh.

I really like beer that is priced below the competition, which is what made this one stand out. Full Sail is rather famous for their ability to produce a very good product without producing a price tag to scare us away.

Great label. The initial smell is that of spicy hops. The ale pours to reveal a dark amber color and sparkling clarity, topped with a light tan head that displays both a foamy appearance and a remarkable staying-power.

The smell is thick and dark, yet rising, with fruity esters and toasty malts. My direct comparison to barleywine (another review) is in the semblance of this beer to Bigfoot from SN in Chico. I will presume the grain bill is similar, and the yeast. As for the hops, I was floored by the initial hit of spicy, floral goodness, and am pleased that it continues underneath the malt column that is the backbone of this ale.

Taste is full, balanced and round. There are tropical and dried fruits. There are also the charred-wood-caramels of aged spirits. The bite from the hops is clean and sharp without taking the star roll.

The feel of this ale is both silky and crisp. Carbonation is well suited to carrying the nuances of this ale across the palate and into the olfactory. The finish is sweet and the aftertaste is slightly like dried fruit and a bit like melon, with sweetness and a bit of tart dryness.

This is a beer worthy of re-visitation. I love the price-point (under $5 for the bomber), the flavor and nose are both complex and balanced, while the overall feeling one is left with is that of both satisfaction and of getting away with something.

Light copper with thin tan head and no retention. Clean malty aroma with a light lemon zest aroma. Sweetness followed by hop bittering to quick clean finish but even a slight linger afterward. Caramel and nutty with light toffee and alcohol notes. Good body and fairly crisp.

Good drinking with simple complexity (oxymoron?). It’s really a deceptively simple beer that can be an easy drinking spring day beer or a good sipping, clear flavored beer to be enjoyed slowly. Nothing gets lost or muddied and is enjoyable form beginning to end.

A - Pours burnt, orange, with a nice off-white head...- some good lacing.

S - Malts, bready tones with,Hops and the faint...

T - Smooth...good balance of malts and a nice bit of hops, then ending with bready bits...and some hints of pine spice...

M - Good carbonation... There's a good fullness. Present, but not 'too' much hoppy/or sweet flavors...The final pine/spice balances the beer out pretty well...

O - This one is good...Although ESB is not my fav (IPA,Porters, & Browns are) this one works out well, comparable to well know Bass, or Red Hook ESBs/Bitters, but hard to compete with 'true' UK Bitters like Flowers, or perhaps Boddingtons...Probably 'WON'T' be looking for this one again, but not bad...Chasing-Cheers :~)

Served in straight pint glass. Poured a clean, bright, gold color with 1/2 inch of white head that had good retention and low lacing.

The aroma was a very well balanced blend of sweet, grainy malts and nice floral hops. The flavors were pretty much the same, with the hops having a bit more noticeable of a presence. The body was clean and fairly typical, but had a somewhat sticky finish that I didn't care for.

The drinkability was pretty, I like a nice ESB and I'd happily drink a couple of these. Overall, a pretty nice brew. Full Sail isn't among my personal favorite breweries, but every so often they put out a brew I really like a lot. This is one of those brews. Try it when you see it.

Look - amber in color, a little hazy, with about half a finger's worth of off-white colored foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell - mostly malty in its aroma, which seems to match what the label claims. Not much else in the smell.

Taste - surprisingly hoppy and bitter, but it's only surprising, not strong. The hops are tasted at the beginning, but the bitterness doesn't strike until the late middle. Oddly there doesn't seem to be much of a malty taste.

Mouthfeel - pretty well balanced, but if it leans anywhere, it might be on the watery side.